Justine Knox of Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Tampa), thank you for taking time out to craft your essay on Legal Physician Assisted Suicide.  We wish you well in your academics, and in your career.  While your essay did not qualify as the best of the best for our scholarship, it certainly deserves honorable mention.

Physician-assisted  suicide is a topic that is quite frequently visited due to strong opinion on both ends, whether it is legal or illegal. It is legal in five U.S. States today: Oregon, Vermont, Washington, California, and Colorado, as well as the District of Columbia and they are all mandated by State Law. The State of Montana is mandated by court ruling. The definition behind physician-assisted  suicide within these states is that the individual must have a terminal illness, as well as a prognosis of six months or less to live. The physicians cannot be prosecuted for prescribing medications to hasten death, according to CNN.com (“Physician-Assisted Suicide Fast Facts, 2017).

In 1997, the Supreme Court issued two decisions on the same day on the right to die: Washington v. Glucksberg  and Vacca v. Quill. Within these two cases, it was decided that the government’s  interest in preserving life was outweighed by an individual’s interest in the choice of death, according to findlaw.com (“Is There a Constitutional Right to Physician-assisted Suicide?”, 2017).

Opinion:

While this topic is based primarily on state laws and federal laws, it is highly controversial when you try to justify it morally. Because of the fact that an individual can choose to refuse medical treatment, I believe this is relevant and should be treated the same if an individual is able to choose to live or die due to their own health circumstances. If a person is in so much pain and is at peace with themselves and their loved ones, knowing they are going to die because of their health issues plus they are in excruciating pain all of the time, then that person should be allowed to end their life peacefully at their own will. If a person is being supported by family, friends, and the medical staff, it allows for a more peaceful and safer exit on this Earth.

When the term “suicide” is used, I believe it leaves a negative feel for society in trying to believe that it is morally correct and that the justice system is serving the good of the people and preserving one’s life when they might not be able to do it for themselves at the time, whether or not their family is present or not. But I don’t  think the courts have the right to be able to justify making a decision about someone’s life and how they should have to live it. Our country solely lives on an individual being able to have “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” which gives a person unalienable rights which the government is supposed to protect these rights, not take them away. In order to pursue happiness, one must have positive emotions and also be satisfied with their life and have all the liberty to do so. Therefore, if a person is satisfied with the life they have lived and fulfilled their calling as they believe it to be on this Earth, they should have the option to rest easy and not be forced to live a life that is not satisfying or fulfilling to them.

References

CNN. (2017, June 10). Physician-Assisted  Suicide Fast Facts. Retrieved July 18, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/26/us/physician-assisted-suicide-fast-facts/index.html

Find Law. (n.d.). Is There a Constitutional  Right to Physician-assisted  Suicide? Retrieved July

18, 2017, from http://healthcare.findlaw.com/patient-rights/is-there-a-constitutional-right­to-physician-assisted-suicide.html

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